תשרי ד' — אגרת הקודש פרק כ

We are now beginning Perek Chof—the twentieth chapter of Iggeres HaKodesh. The Alter Rebbe opens this section with a foundational statement from Pesach Eliyahu in the introduction to Etz Chaim, which is recited in our davening. This statement is the basis for the deep discussion that follows about the unity of Hashem with His emanations.

The phrase quoted is איהו וחיוהי חד איהו וגרמוהי חד בהון—He and His life-force are one; He and His vessels are one in them. Here, איהו means Hashem Himself. חיוהי refers to His life-force, the Oir—the divine energy that emanates from Him. גרמוהי means His vessels, the Kelim—the containers or channels through which the divine energy is expressed.

The point here is that Hashem and His חיוהי—His light, and Hashem and His גרמוהי—His vessels, are both described as חד—one. There is a complete unity between Hashem and both His light and His vessels, at least in the world of Atzilus. This is a very deep concept, and the Alter Rebbe will now begin to explain what this means and how it is possible.

The Alter Rebbe clarifies: when we speak of the ten Sefiros of Atzilus, the חיוהי—the lights—refer to the Oiros, the divine energies. The גרמוהי—the vessels—refer to the Kelim, the forms or channels that define and limit how the light is expressed.

He emphasizes that in Atzilus, both the Oiros and the Kelim are Elokus—they are godly, completely united with Hashem. This is not the case in the lower worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, where the Oiros and Kelim are no longer fully one with Hashem. Only in Atzilus do we have this absolute unity, where everything is pure godliness.

The Alter Rebbe now raises a question: how can we say that the Ein Sof—the Infinite One—is one with His גרמוהי, His Kelim? After all, the Kelim are defined and limited; they have boundaries and specific characteristics, as explained in Etz Chaim. For example, the Kelim of Chochmah, Binah, and Daas each have their own unique definitions and limits.

So the question is: how can something that is Ein Sof—infinite and without any limitation—be truly one with something that is by definition limited and finite? This is a fundamental issue, and the Alter Rebbe is going to address it in depth.

The Alter Rebbe begins to answer: the intention is not to say that the Kelim are infinite in the same way as the Oiros. Rather, the point is that the Kelim are also Elokus—they are godly in the sense that they have the power to create yesh me'ayin—something from nothing—just like the Ein Sof itself.

This is not just a matter of hishtalshelus—a chain of cause and effect, where each level evolves from the one above it in a gradual process. Instead, the Kelim of Atzilus have the unique ability to bring about a true creation, a leap from nothingness to existence, which is a godly power. This is what makes them one with Hashem in this context.

The Alter Rebbe addresses a statement from the Ramak and the Zohar that speaks about hishtalshelus—the chain of cause and effect—within the Sefiros themselves. This refers to the evolution of the Sefiros within Atzilus, specifically in the aspect of the Kelim.

In Sefer Yetzirah, the Kelim are called בלי מה—without "whatness" or tangible substance. This means that even the Kelim of Atzilus are not something that can be grasped or defined in a concrete way. Just as the Ein Sof cannot be grasped by any thought, so too the Kelim of Atzilus are beyond our comprehension. This is what makes them godly and united with Hashem.

The Alter Rebbe brings a proof from the verse ופני לא יראו—"My face shall not be seen." This means that the inner essence, the Pnimius, cannot be grasped or perceived, even by the greatest of prophets.

Even Moshe Rabbeinu, whose prophecy and comprehension were the highest possible, only reached the uppermost level of Netzach of Zeir Anpin. As explained in the previous chapter, even Moshe's understanding was limited to the external aspects of the Sefiros, specifically the upper part of Netzach. The true inner essence remains beyond grasp.

The Alter Rebbe explains the process of hishtalshelus—the chain of cause and effect. When the alul—the effect—emerges from the ilah—the cause, it is still completely encompassed and nullified within its source, just like a ray of sunlight is completely nullified within the sun itself. This analogy is brought from the Pardes of the Ramak.

In other words, before something emerges as a separate entity, it is totally absorbed and has no independent existence within its source. Only when it emerges does it become distinct, but as long as it is within the cause, it is completely nullified and has no separate identity.

The Alter Rebbe explains that even if there are many, many contractions—צמצומים רבים מאד—it still will not help to produce something as thick and physical as גשם עב כעפר—dense matter like earth or dust—from the chain of descent of spiritual entities, from the spiritual intellects, even those of the angels.

In other words, no matter how much you descend, no matter how many levels you go down in the process of hishtalshelus—the chain-like evolution from higher to lower—you cannot get from a purely spiritual source to actual physical matter. The most you can get, even after all these contractions, is something like the spirit of the animal—רוח הבהמה—which comes from the face of the ox—מפני שור—as it says elsewhere. That is, you can have a spiritual life-force descend from a higher spiritual source, like the animal soul coming from the angelic level, but it remains spiritual.

This means that even the lowest spiritual entities, like the animal soul, can be traced back to a higher spiritual source, such as the angels, but the process never produces actual physicality. The leap from spiritual to physical cannot happen through gradual descent or contraction alone. It requires a completely different process—yesh me'ayin, creation ex nihilo, something from nothing. Only through this can true physical matter come into being.